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Re: Two Year Anniversary of Cold Case Murder

Pretty sparse information, but what was she doing sleeping in a vacant home? Was she a street person? Where were her two sons while she was sleeping in said Vacant home? Lots O unanswered questions here that might shed some light on where to look for the gun man

Re: Two Year Anniversary of Cold Case Murder

That's sad. Yah, wonder where the two sons were. That's awfully strange if she was sleeping in a vacant home for this to have been pre-meditated. It would have had to have been someone who knew she was there, or if it wasn't, imagine this scenario, two men arrive at a vacant house, they go in, see a woman sleeping, decide to shoot her ??? For why ?? Obviously if she's sleeping in a vacant home, the motive wasn't robbery. hmmm.... Senseless.

Re: Two Year Anniversary of Cold Case Murder

That's what I was thinking too, but still, what the witnesses seemed to relay, is that these men walked in, shot her, and booked. Not like a party was going on. And accounts say she had been sleeping, how do they know that ??

Re: Two Year Anniversary of Cold Case Murder

Article Text:
by andrea hahn
the southern
CARBONDALE - Investigators in Carbondale continue what Chief Bob Ledbetter described as "good, hard-nosed police work" in the murder investigations of both 21-year-old FalonTaylor and 22-year-old Ryan Livingston. Taylor was shot to death while she slept in a house at 417 E. Oak St. on Jan. 6. Police said an as-yet-unidentified man, possibly with another man, kicked open the locked door of the house and fired shots into the bedroom. It is not known yet if Taylor was the intended target of the shooting.
Immediately after Taylor's murder, all investigative resources were launched to find her killer. Police also are continuing their work on the July 13, 2006, murder of a Carterville man as he walked along West Walnut Street sometime around 10 p.m.
"We have been working on this case on a daily basis," Ledbetter said in a recent interview. "I review this case at least once a week."
Residents in the Arbor District area where the murder happened shored up an already strong Neighborhood Watch program and questioned the city about acquiring better street lighting. Though Livingston was stabbed on a busy road, the spot where he was found was dark and visibility on the sidewalk was poor, they said.
"The people who did this don't realize what they did," Stephanie Oldani, Livingston's friend, said recently as she recalled the six-month anniversary of her friend's death. "When I heard about (the Taylor homicide) my heart just broke because I know exactly what her family and friends are going through."
Oldani said Livingston's friends celebrated his birthday in his memory. She said she still goes to his gravesite to sit and talk aloud to Livingston as she used to do when he was alive. But the group of friends isn't the same anymore with him gone, she said.
"He was the glue that held us together," she said.
Denise Livingston, Ryan's mother, said she spent the holidays with Ryan's pre-school-aged daughter - but it wasn't the same without him.
"There's someone out there who knows something," Ledbetter said of the murder investigations. "We just haven't got to that person yet."
"I know the police are doing the best they can," Oldani said. "This just isn't supposed to happen here."
Police are asking anyone with information to call them at (618) 457-3200. Callers can also use the anonymous tip line operated by Carbondale Crime Stoppers at (618) 549-COPS. Crime Stoppers offers monetary rewards for information leading to the arrest or conviction of a criminal.

Re: Two Year Anniversary of Cold Case Murder

Article Text:
RUN WITH MUG SHOT
BY ANDREA HAHN
THE SOUTHERN
MURPHYSBORO - They didn't want to put it into words, but the pain is obviously fresh for friends and family of FalonTaylor, the 21-year-old Carbondale woman who was shot to death in early January.
Very little new information was presented Thursday at an inquest at the Jackson County Courthouse. Lt. Paul Echols said he didn't want to let many details out about the unsolved murder that the coroner's jury ruled as homicide. Taylor was killed about 12:30 a.m. in a house at 417 E. Oak St. Echols testified at the inquest that someone kicked open the front door of the house and fired shots through the open door of the bedroom where Taylor was sleeping. She was alone in the bedroom, though someone else was present in the house, Echols said. He declined to answer publicly how close the shooter was to Taylor when the shots were fired. Taylor was shot twice, once in the head and once in the chest, Coroner Dr. Thomas Kupferer said. Either shot, he said, would have been sufficient to kill her, even if she had immediately received medical attention.
Toxicology reports indicated Taylor did not have any drugs or alcohol present in her system at the time of her death, Kupferer said.
At the time of the murder, police said a witness reported that an unknown man, possibly in the company of another man, forced the door and fired the shots. No other description was available.
Police are still investigating the case and are still asking the public to come forward with any information. They can call the police department at 457-3200 or the Carbondale-SIUC Crime Stoppers tip line at 549-COPS.

Article Text:
(U-WIRE) CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Before she died, Falon C. Taylor recorded her singing voice on her sister's cell phone.
"It's the most beautiful voice you ever did hear," Selina Thompson said. Thompson was Taylor's aunt. Taylor, 21, of Marion, Ill., was shot to death on Jan. 6 while visiting a friend's house. Police continue to search for two possible suspects.
A funeral service was held for Taylor Friday afternoon at the New Zion Missionary Baptist Church. Every pew was filled in the small church Willow Street. The emotions inside the church were reflected by the light rain and gray sky outside.
Pictures inside the church helped family and friends remember Taylor's life. Three large poster board displays adorned with pictures of Taylor were in the lobby. A DVD player with a screen ran a slideshow of photos on a constant loop. The pictures showed a smiling girl with dark hair at different points in her life; from Halloween and singing as a child, to moments Taylor spent with her two young sons.
At the front near the podium, a silver coffin sat surrounded by roses, and friends and family stood and spoke of how they knew Taylor. Jelisa Gaston, Taylor's cousin, was one of those who shared memories.
"One memory that I remember from way, way long ago -- we used to always have to take baths together," Gaston said.
Gaston said she wanted to share happy memories to comfort the family. Gaston grew up with Taylor at their grandmother's house.
Lana Wills was another person who knew Taylor as she grew up. Wills first met Taylor when she began going to church in Marion.
"I was married to the Rev. Jerry Allen in Marion and I met [Taylor] when she was, like, 13," Wills said.
Wills said Taylor came to her house often and was even the first girlfriend of her son. Wills described Taylor as a "sweet" girl who loved to sing.
"She always had something encouraging to say," Wills said. "Her last words to me were, 'Hey Miss Lana, I love you."
At the funeral, Wills sang "Amazing Grace," a cappella.
Missie Copeland, a friend of Taylor, also sang to honor her memory. Copeland sang "I Won't Complain".
Thompson also remembers Taylor as a talented singer. Thompson said at a young age Taylor dreamed of being a country music star.
"She had a pair of cowboy boots that she would not take off and she used to tell us that she was going to be a country singer when she grew up," Thompson said.
Singing, her encouraging attitude and her sweet personality is what Taylor's friends and family will remember most about her.
"Her death has hurt us real bad but we have so many good memories; that's going to stay with us for the rest of our lives, so that can stop some of the pain," Gaston said.